Property crime rates are negatively correlated to the presence of dog(s).

What is it about?

Previous attempts to quantify the role that dogs play in mitigating household property crime rates have produced mixed results. GIS and spatial analysis methods to conduct such an investigation are not well-represented in the anthrozoological academic press for an entire city. This study seeks to address these gaps using a GIS-based case study of dog license locations and reported property crime locations for land parcel data in the City of Milwaukee, WI, for 2011. We found that parcels with reported licensed dogs experienced property crime at rates of between 1.40 and 1.71 percentage points lower than the property crime rates for parcels that were zoned the same and did not have licensed dogs. This association between the presence of dogs and reduced property crime suggests dogs have a deterrent effect on property crime; more comprehensive analysis is encouraged to draw more concrete conclusions.

Featured Image

Photo by Victor Grabarczyk on Unsplash

Photo by Victor Grabarczyk on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Results can inform noise ordinances, sheltering policies, neighborhood tolerance, and benefit awareness.